Facebook Debuts New Feature for People to Choose a ‘Legacy Contact’

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Facebook Debuts New Feature for People to Choose a ‘Legacy Contact’

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Facebook has added a new option to allow users to choose a ‘legacy contact’ in the event one passes away, which would then allow the selected user to make the following changes to one’s profile:

Write a post to display at the top of the memorialized Timeline (for example, to announce a memorial service or share a special message)

Respond to new friend requests from family members and friends who were not yet connected on Facebook

Update the profile picture and cover photo

The selected person can also have the option of downloading a copy of what you’ve shared on Facebook such as posts, photos and profile info. Also, memorialized profiles will now have a “Remembering” above their name.

Right now, the feature is only available in the U.S. but the social network said it will be “expanding to more countries” soon. This is definitely something you never want to setup or discuss, but I can see how some people want this option available.

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the profile has to be memorialized first before the selected person gains access. And that process requires proof of death submitted to FB, which can take a while. You better off just giving your password to a friend or family member. They then should submit for memorialized status. This keeps from your page actually being recommended as friends to people and other things. There is also and option to just shut down your account when you die.